Gay husbands denied entry to beach party: ‘You’re not a couple’
Giuseppe Pitirollo, 37, and his husband Daniele Bausilio, 28, claim the ‘homophobic’ incident took place during the evening of June 23.
The couple were having dinner with their friends, also a couple, in the maritime location of Bacoli.
The picturesque city is located 15 kilometres west of Naples.
The pair claim they were denied entry over their sexual orientation (Getty)
Once their dinner was over, Pitirollo and his husband attempted to join in with a beach party, which was taking place nearby.
Speaking with GSN, Pitirollo claims that he and his husband were denied entry by the bouncer, based on their sexual orientation.
“The guy at the door told us we couldn’t as we were not with women and the event was couples-only.” Pitirollo told Gay Star News.
The bouncer then said that “a couple is only made of a woman and a man.”
The beach party was organised by Lido Turistico Beach Park.
They have strongly denied the couple’s claims, saying that they were simply too drunk to be admitted into the party.
Having attempted to gain entry to the venue, the couple were told that they were too drunk (TripAdvisor)
Pitirollo told GSN that the couple called the Carabinieri, the Italian police, after they had been denied entry.
They even asked the police to give them a breathalyser test to prove that they were not drunk.
“They asked exclusively for our IDs. We wanted to take the alcohol test to prove we were completely sober, but they refused.” he claims.
Having not managed to enter the beach party, Pitirollo and his husband went to the local police station to report the venue.
Following the reported incident, the owner of the venue released a statement on Facebook.
“Some exploit their sexual orientation to blame other people.
“We’re respectful of every choice, but we reserve the right to refuse anyone entry if they’re not in line with our policy of kindness and respect to others.” wrote owner Luciano Santini.
Is change on the horizon for LGBT rights in Italy? (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)
Currently same-sex marriage is not legal in Italy.
The country’s laws and societal views are still heavily influenced by the Catholic Church.
It is somewhat trailing behind fellow Western European countries regarding LGBT rights, having only legalised same-sex civil partnerships in 2016.
An indication that times might be changing for Italy’s LGBT rights came in the form of the Vatican referring to queer people using the acronym “LGBT” for the first time.
The incident remains under investigation.
